Korea

Puppet South Korea, US start largest-ever joint air exercise

South Korea, US start largest-ever joint air exercise

South Korea has started its biggest-ever joint air drill the United States, amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The so-called Max Thunder military exercise, held twice a year, kicked off on Friday and is slated to last until April 25.

The air drill involves 103 aircraft and 1,400 service personnel, a South Korean air force spokesman said, adding, “In numerical terms, it’s the largest exercise of its kind that we’ve done.”

The two countries last held Max Thunder drill in October-November 2013 with 97 aircraft and some 1,000 troops taking part in it.

The current maneuvers will concentrate on “practical scenarios” involving precision assaults and supply drop missions for troops.

The air drill comes as Seoul and Washington are holding separate annual military exercises which started late February.

Tensions have recently been on the rise between the two Koreas as Pyongyang says its southern neighbor and the US are “rehearsing for an invasion.”

Washington and Seoul recently held a 12-day amphibious military exercise after North Korea launched two mid-range ballistic missiles in March and said it might conduct a new nuclear test.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently warned that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is “very grave” and vowed to “thoroughly crush” a US-engineered policy of hostility.

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